Año Internacional de los Bosques: Tópicos y realidades

Declarado “Año internacional de los bosques”, 2011 tenía como objetivo incrementar los esfuerzos para conservar las masas arbóreas del planeta y recordar los beneficios que nos proporcionan. Es el momento de despejar algunas cuestiones: ¿A qué llamamos bosques? ¿Qué evolución han tenido en nuestro país? ¿Cuál es la realidad sin tópicos ni eufemismos

The Impact of Domain Knowledge and Cognitive Fit on User’s Cognitive and Affective States: An Exploratory Analysis Using Biometrics in the Context of Business Information Visualization

It is well known that there is an impact of viewers’ cognitive fit on decision performance in the context of information visualization. It has been suggested that domain knowledge impacts the formation of cognitive fit, decision performance, and the underlying cognitive effort. There is a lack of knowledge about the interplay of domain knowledge and cognitive fit impact on users’ cognitive and affective states. In this exploratory research we will explore this relationship and resulting user cognitive and affective states through the use of biometrics devices (eye tracking, facial expression, and Galvanic Skin Response

Testicular expression of the TGF-B1 system and the control of Leydig cell proliferation

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) is a key regulator that modulates male reproductive function. Testicular TGF-beta1 modulates the steroidogenesis of Leydig cells, the organization of peritubular myoid cells, testis development and spermatogenesis. Several studies have indicated that TGF-beta1 is involved in the tight balance between proliferative and apoptotic re- sponses in the Leydig cells. In the present review, we summarize the direct effects of this cytokine in Ley- dig cells under normal and pathological conditions. We analyze the effect of TGF-beta1 in Leydig cells de- pending on the type of receptors involved in the sig- naling pathway of TGF-beta1. Our group has been ana- lyzing the canonical and non canonical intracellular signaling pathways of TGF-beta1 that are involved in the expression of proliferative and apoptotic markers in Leydig cells. On the basis of our studies and from those of other authors we conclude that the balance between the expression of TGF-beta1 receptors and co receptors is of relevance in Leydig cell physiology and pathophisiology.Fil: Gonzalez, Candela Rocio. Universidad Maimonides. Area de Invest.biomedicas y Biotecnologicas; ArgentinaFil: Calandra, Ricardo Saul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Calvar, Silvia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin

FABP-2 and PPAR-γ Haplotype as Risk Factors for Dyslipidemia in a Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Population of Santa Rosa del Conlara, San Luis, Argentina

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disorder caused by the interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Genetics plays an important role on lipid homeostasis. Many genes are involved in the lipid metabolism, such as FABP-2 and PPAR-γ. Aim: To evaluate the association between specific SNPs and haplotypes of the FABP-2 and PPAR-γ genes with T2DM and lipid profile in an Argentinean population. Methods: The FABP-2 (rs1799883) and PPAR-γ (rs1801282) polymorphisms were genotyped and analyzed in association with lipid profile and T2DM, separately and also combined in haplotypes. Results: The frequency of the rare Thr54 allele of the FABP-2 polymorphism in control (0.33) was not different from the frequency in T2DM (0.27), whereas the frequency of the rare Ala12 allele of the PPAR-γ polymorphism in control was different from the frequency in T2DM (0.26 and 0.14, respectively; p = 0.0031). Frequencies of haplotypes for these two single-nucleotide polymorphisms differed significantly in control and T2DM. Haplotype association analysis showed the associations between ThrPro haplotype and TG levels (OR = 2.520; 95% CI = 1.139 - 5.575; p = 0.027) and between ThrPro haplotype and TC and LDL-c levels when compared to AlaPro haplotype (difference = 0.175, 95% CI = 0068 - 0.499, p < 0.0001; difference = 0.052, 95% CI = 0.017 - 0.158, p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusions: These results from a haplotype analysis show for the first time that genetic combinations of alleles of the FABP-2 and PPAR-γ gene could play a role in the susceptibility to develop dyslipemia in T2DM.Fil: Siewert, Susana Elfrida. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Diabetes; ArgentinaFil: Olmos Nicotra, Maria Florencia. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Diabetes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Irma Ines. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Diabetes; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Diabetes; ArgentinaFil: Ojeda, Marta Susana. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Diabetes; Argentin

Recent Results for Supercritical Controlled Branching Processes with Control Random Functions

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J80, 60F05In this paper we are concerned with the controlled branching processes with random control function. Recently, we have considered them under the condition of asymptotically linear growth of the mathematical expectations associated to the random control variables. We present a review of the main results obtained until now, mainly, in the supercritical case.Research supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologi a and the FEDER through the Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifi ca, Desarrollo e Innovaci on Tecnologica, grant BFM2003-06074

Evaluation of neuroinflammation as modulator of tau aggregation in response to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury

The pathological misfolding and aggregation of hyper-phosphorylated tau (ptau) protein in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) is the main hallmark of a group of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. These include important disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Mounting evidence supports that the aggregation and deposition of misfolded proteins is an early event in the development of AD and CTE. Several studies uphold traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an important risk factor for both disorders, since there is a relationship between TBI severity and frequency, and the vulnerability to develop dementia. Importantly, individuals affected by TBI show elevated levels of ptau in cerebrospinal fluid and NFTs in specific brain areas. Although previous studies on tau mice subjected to TBI show increased ptau burden, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been explored. Besides, previous research neither recapitulate the effects of repetitive mild TBI (rmTBI), reported to lead to long-lasting neurological consequences. Acute and chronic inflammation are intimately associated to TBI events, but its role on tau aggregation over time remains unknown. Here, we analyze the neuroinflammatory response, at both short- and long-term, in transgenic tau mice after rmTBI. Our data suggest that rmTBI triggers microglia and astroglia activation and that they may be involved in the increase observed on tau pathology in concussed mice. This could indicate that neuroinflammation could have an active role in the increased risk to develop tauopathies after brain concussion.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Regulated expression of galectin-1 after in vitro productive infection with herpes simplex virus type 1: implications for T cell apoptosis

Apoptosis of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) has been reported to be a relevant mechanism of viral immune evasion. Galectin-1 (Gal-1), an endogenous lectin involved in T-cell apoptosis, has recently gained considerable attention as a novel mechanism of tumor-immune evasion. Here we investigated whether infection of cells with HSV-1 can modulate the expression of Gal-1. Results show that pro-apoptotic Gal-1, but not Gal-3, is remarkably up-regulated in cell cultures infected with HSV-1. In addition, this protein is secreted to the extracellular milieu, where it contributes to apoptosis of activated T cells in a carbohydrate-dependent manner. Since many viruses have evolved mechanisms to counteract the antiviral response raised by the infected host, our results suggest that HSV-1 may use galectin-1 as a weapon to kill activated T cells and evade specific immune responses.Fil: Gonzalez, Maria Ines. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Rubinstein, Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ilarregui, Juan Martin. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Toscano, Marta Alicia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Sanjuan, Norberto Aníbal. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin

Daily Heterosexist Experiences in LGBTQ+ Adults from Spain: Measurement, Prevalence, and Clinical Implications

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals face unique stressors related to their sexual and gender identities that have a detrimental impact on their mental health. Nonetheless, studies have not yet investigated these minority stressors among LGBTQ+ individuals from Spain. The limited availability of standardized tools/ instruments to measure minority stressors in Spanish makes it challenging to explore these experiences among Spanish speaking individuals. The present study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ) among LGBTQ+ adults from Spain, compare rates of minority stressors across diverse gender and sexual orientations, and examine the impact of daily heterosexist experiences (henceforth referred to as heterosexist experiences) on symptoms of depression and suicidal behavior. The sample was composed of 509 LGBTQ+ identifying adults in the age range of 18 to 60 years old. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit for the six dimensions of the DHEQ scale. Individuals identified as transgender or reporting a minority sexual orientation (i.e., asexual, pansexual) indicated higher levels of exposure to heterosexist experiences. Moreover, those with higher levels of heterosexist experiences had higher symptoms of depression and suicide behavior. The present study provides a tool for examining minority stressors in Spanish speaking LGBTQ+ adults. Assessing for minority stressors may aid in the identification of risk and protective factors when working with LGBTQ+ treatment seeking adults. - Las personas lesbianas, gais, bisexuales, transexuales y queer (LGBTQ+) enfrentan en su día a día estresores únicos relacionados con sus identidades sexuales y de género que pueden perjudicar a su salud mental. Sin embargo, no hay investigación que explore estos estresores minoritarios en población LGBTQ+ de España. La limitada disponibilidad de instrumentos estandarizados para medir los estresores minoritarios/experiencias heterosexistas en español dificulta hoy en día explorar estas experiencias en las personas de habla hispana. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo examinar la estructura factorial del Cuestionario de Experiencias Heterosexistas Diarias (DHEQ, según sus siglas en inglés) en adultos LGBTQ+ de España, comparar las tasas de experiencias heterosexistas en diversas identidades de género y orientaciones sexuales y examinar el impacto de las experiencias heterosexistas en los síntomas de depresión y comportamiento suicida. La muestra constaba de 509 adultos LGBTQ+ en el rango de edad de 18 a 60 años. El análisis factorial confirmatorio indica un buen ajuste para las seis dimensiones de la escala DHEQ. Las personas que se identificaron como trans o con una orientación sexual minoritaria (por ejemplo, asexual, pansexual) indicaban mayores niveles de exposición a experiencias heterosexistas. Además, niveles más altos de experiencias heterosexistas se asocian a mayores síntomas de depresión y comportamiento suicida. El presente estudio proporciona una herramienta para examinar experiencias heterosexistas en población adulta LGBTQ+ de habla hispana. La evaluación de experiencias heterosexistas puede ayudar en la identificación de factores de riesgo y de protección cuando se trabaja con adultos LGBTQ+ en el ámbito clínico